Wanna Be Farmer

In the part of the country where I live, September finally brought the glorious weather we'd waited for all summer. The skies have been prairie-blue and the sunshine brilliant. So many of the flowers that had struggled to survive in spring and languished in a cold, damp summer now are attempting to gain a new lease on life. Some of them have succeeded; it's just too bad the vegetables didn't have a second chance.

We've moved the pea vines from the garden to the compost pile, dug the potatoes and spread the onions to dry on the cement sidewalk that runs under the back deck. Among a dozen or so yellowing tomato plants the fruit is finally starting to ripen, setting the patch ablaze with shades of red. The leeks, once dwarfed between carnations, astilbes, and daisies, stand tall. We'll mulch them and leave them to guard the front sidewalk well into winter. What's left of the beets and spinach will soon be eaten. That's Fall and I love it.

There's also something about autumn that involuntarily triggers our bodies to respond to the season. This morning, with no forethought, it seemed only right to pass on the cold cereal and reach back in the cupboard for the brightly coloured Tupperware™ container of oatmeal. I doubt I'll go back to circles of oats or bundles of whole wheat for awhile.

The passing of the seasons is an old and perhaps even a hackneyed topic but for this writer, impossible to ignore. Passing through autumn without commenting on its arrival just doesn't seem right because, after all, it's part of the cycle of nature and of life.

Christopher Hergesheimer, sociologist, refers to another cycle. He calls it the cyclical effect of food on our person.

This master's degree candidate is delving into the intricacies of the relationship between community and food. Part of his research addresses the innate call to each individual to return to our sense of identity and place. It can be heard in something as common as bread, he says. He's not talking about the always fresh and nutritionally valueless “holder-of-the-filling-in-between” stuff, he's referring to bread that's made from something planted, harvested, milled and baked in the place where we dwell. It's a quiet voice, scarcely heard for decades as we Canadians tore through the spring and summer seasons of technological advances, rampant materialism, and frantic pressure to keep up with the Jones, whoever they are.

There's no doubt - Fall is here, bringing with it a sense that it's time to tear out those things that no longer produce meaningful sustenance. Family, friends, and community are gaining new meaning in light of global terrorism, mortgage meltdowns and a thousand other disappointments. Those once considered environmental or lifestyle “fringe elements” now beckon us to at least to listen and harvest the things that remain.

Fall is about life...and death. As we laid my beloved step-father to rest in September, I entered into a new season. As comforted as I am by my faith, the chill of Fall has taken hold. Winter is next but, as seasons always do, they change and after winter comes spring.

Profiling some of Canada's strongest farmers

It's easy enough to name the challenges facing farmers on a daily basis - after all, there are probably few, if any, Canadians who have not heard of the closure of the US border to live cattle, the skyrocketing costs of fuel, inputs and equipment and the rollercoaster prices for commodities. Farming isn't for the weak of heart.

Conventional wisdom would say that is not for the weak of body, either; after all, no amount of automation and technology removes the need to push, lift, shove and shovel. Farming is plain hard work and it takes strong men and women to do it.

Grant and Jean Smith are farmers endued with enviable resilience and strength. So are Carl Palmer, Brett Verhoeven and a lot of other farmers whose names may never again appear in print. The Smiths raise a few cattle and plan on leasing more land in order to graze more livestock. Brett makes his living by working on a neighbour's dairy farm. Carl raises beef and Pioneer Hi-Bred seed corn.  Smiths and Verhoeven live in British Columbia; Palmer, in Nova Scotia. Distance separates them; serious and restricting physical limitations unite them.

Grant and Jean live near Sorrento, where they operate a small hobby farm with the aid of one of their four sons, Tony. As well, Grant and another son, Trevor, own and operate a small-motor repair shop. Training her horse is a special interest of Jean's.

The Smiths are a family who has learned to be strong. Grant is recovering from recent open heart surgery. In addition to a workplace injury to her back, Jean suffers from Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD). (According to the dictionary, RSD is a syndrome characterized by “abnormally intense pain,” abnormal swelling...and hypersensitivity to minor stimulation. “She has to wear a support brace at times,” Grant says. “Sometimes she just hobbles around.”) Both Tony, aged 24, and Trevor, aged 22, are autistic.

Brett Verhoeven, in his early twenties and not married, was raised on a dairy farm near Enderby. “I've been around farms all my life,” he said. “My grandfather and my father farmed.” Verhoeven and his father sold the dairy farm and quota in 1999. Now, while Brett's father continues to raise beef cattle and sell hay, Brett works on a neighbour's dairy farm. He suffers from weakness and short-term memory loss caused by a farm accident.

“It was on April 6, 2003,” he said. “I got wrapped up in a PTO shaft.”

Verhoeven remembers the exact day but not a lot of other details about the accident. “I don't actually remember how long I was there before someone came along and saw my clothes going round the PTO. They found me and called for an ambulance,” Verhoeven explained. He also spoke of his determination to continue farming in spite of a “lot of broken bones,” at least eight weeks in hospital and a year off work. Only in answer to a direct question did he admit to having “a bit of fear in going back to work with the machinery.”  Although no modifications to farm equipment are necessary, his short term memory loss makes it necessary to write everything down. “But I plan to remain independent,” he said on several occasions, “That's the whole idea.”

As a result of a farm accident, Palmer is a double leg amputee and although he lives on the other end of Canada, his physical disability, as well as his determination to make a difference in the lives of all farmers with disabilities, has linked him with members all across this nation.

In 1985, The National Disabled Farmers program was launched in Saskatchewan with the goal of providing assistance and information for farmers who have disabilities but need help deciding whether to continue farming or who know they want to remain on the land but need answers to questions. The program has grown and developed into a strong network of advice and support, including ideas for adapting equipment, news on upcoming conferences, tips on safety and accident prevention and stories of how other farmers are dealing with their disabilities.

“I first learned about it in 1990 when people brought it to Atlantic Canada,” Palmer said. “It was developed in cooperation with the Paraplegic Association in Nova Scotia.” The group was known as Canadian Ag Safety Program (CASP).

Palmer met with other farmers with disabilities in Saskatoon in 1997 and from that meeting the Canadian Farmers with Disabilities Registry (CFWDR) was formed. “We wanted to register as many farmers as possible so we could find out whether the accident actually happened on the farm. The purpose was to make the information, location and other details of the accidents a basis for all farm safety programs,” he explained. According to Palmer, there are now four hundred (400) farmers registered from the East Coast to the West Coast. A recent Media Release conveys Palmer's excitement: “The Canadian Farmers with Disabilities Registry now had active representation in all ten provinces,” it reads.

This is where Ed Barnett enters this story. Barnett raises livestock and poultry on Vancouver Island as well as working in a local mill. Safety is not a new issue for him; for the past fifteen years he has been a 4H leader and has represented 4H safety programs in local fairs and agribitions. He currently serves as the Safety Officer for his district and although he does not need to deal personally with physical disabilities, he is committed to preventing others having to face that kind of trauma. It seemed logical that he was asked to organize the CFWDR annual general meeting and info sessions held in Nanaimo this past February.

Barnett's exasperation was clear as he spoke of the lack of support displayed by some officials and politicians: “Everyone is 'too busy',” he commented. In spite of frustrations, delays and the fact that many couldn't attend a mid-week event, however, Barnett was able to book several excellent speakers, including the “person in charge of safety at the Weyerhauser mill where I work,” Ken Lacroix, a representative from the British Columbia Farm and Ranch Safety and Health Association (FARSHA), and Reg Stewart, “an ex-RCMP member and preacher.” “Stewart spoke about doing everything you can - but there are still things that are beyond your control,” Barnett said.

And organizations can only do so much, as well. Although groups such as CFWDR and FARSHA are available and welcoming to any farmers needing the help they offer, individuals must make their own decisions.

“There are farmers who are sensitive about the issue and they don't want to speak out or be part of the organization,” Barnett said. “Their way of life is no longer there and that's a tender spot - not everyone functions as well as Rick Hansen.”

Palmer agrees: “Some people just want to be left alone,” he explained but went on to say that it is CFWDR policy that executive board positions are restricted to those who have had farm accidents yet continue to farm.

Verhoeven became a member of CFWDR but hasn't yet become very involved. “I think it is a good organization,” he said. “They do a lot of good stuff.”

Grant and Jean Smith have taken the extra step of volunteering themselves as directors and contact persons for the BC Chapter of the organization. “We don't know where it will all take us just yet,” Grant commented. “But we are looking forward to working on it.”

For more information about the Canadian Farmers with Disabilities Registry in BC, contact Grant and Jean Smith at 250-835-0133 or visit the CFWDR website at
http://www.fwdcanada.com